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In an effort to show leadership, Mr Toyoda announced yesterday that he would be cutting his salary by a whopping 30 per cent in the first year. His target is to cut fixed costs by 800 billion yen by March of next year.
"The new Toyota sets sail in very stormy waters," Mr Toyoda said at a news conference. But right now we're working at full speed to cut costs and jump-start sales with the support of various government incentives being rolled out."
The same conference brought to light the fact that Toyota is facing tough times for the next couple of years.
"We want to do everything possible to avoid a third consecutive year of losses," Mr Toyoda said.
Executive Vice President Atsushi Niimi said, that although things are difficult, plant closures were not an option.
"Right now, the market is very tough. But in two years, or at most three years, it will recover so we want to make sure we have the means to meet demand them", said Mr Niimi.
The new Prius, for example, has had more than 180,000 sales in Japan alone since its launch, meaning demand is still strong for certain vehicles, and Toyota is re-organising itself to deal with lower sales, but higher technology cars.

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SoftBank CEO and Sprint chairman Masayoshi Son has announced a surprising new direction for his illustrious career: the field of humanoid robotics. At a press conference in Tokyo, Son revealed a human-like robot called Pepper that is capable of playing multiple roles from babysitter to store staff. Pepper introduced itself by bowing in the Japanese fashion before posing and encouraging the audience to take more photos.
The "world's first personal robot with emotions"
Son describes Pepper as the "world's first personal robot with emotions." The robot is said to learn from human interaction and behavior, uploading its experiences to a cloud AI system for other units to use. This is designed to teach the robot quickly how to act in a natural manner. Son drew a distinction between Pepper's "emotion engine" and the standard programming of other humanoid robots.
Pepper is 4-feet tall and 62 pounds with a tablet-style display on its chest and fully articulated arms that move in a lifelike manner. The robot doesn't have legs, however, looking more like a mermaid on wheels. Pepper appeared to engage Son in natural-sounding Japanese, but it's hard to tell how much was being processed in real time. Pepper has around 12 hours of battery life, according to Son.
The robot is the result of a collaboration between SoftBank and French company Aldebaran Robotics, which has produced models like the Nao and the Romeo. SoftBank took a majority stake in Aldebaran in 2012. The Nikkei newspaper reported earlier that production will be outsourced to Foxconn; founder Terry Gou joined Son onstage to express his support for the project.
This is Son's first foray into robotics, but the development is in line with his desire to produce technology to address major issues facing Japan. He has previously been an outspoken advocate for aggressively pursuing green energy to replace the country's nuclear power plants, for example, and announced a move into healthcare with SoftBank. Nikkei reports that SoftBank will develop a robot to assist with care for the elderly at some point in the future.
SoftBank will place Pepper units in two Tokyo stores from tomorrow before rolling them out to the rest of the country. Perhaps the most notable element of Pepper is the price: it will go on general sale in February for ¥198,000, or around $1,930, for the base unit.


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EU Council stresses value of global guidance:
This article was originally published in Clinica
The EU Health Council has given full support to the international collaboration taking place within the Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF). At the Council meeting on June 26, at which Commissioners David Byrne (Health and Consumer Affairs) and Erkki Liikanen (Enterprise) presented a range of conclusions on health issues, including on the role of medical devices, the importance of common global guidance was acknowledged. "There is a need to aim for a high level of health protection through co-operation and exchange of views with third countries and health organisations," the Council said.
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Swingers, the immersive crazy golf experience that has proved such a massive hit in the capital since starting life as a pop-up venture back in 2014, has revealed some seriously exciting expansion plans for the coming months.
On our shores, Swingers West End has undergone an impressive 8,000 sq ft extension that’ll be open to the public from Fri 20 May. The fit-out includes a new crazy golf course, bar, street food showcase from Patty&Bun and their fried chicken project Jeffries, along with a 2,500sq ft all-weather roof terrace.
Over in the States, Swingers NoMad is set to open in the heart of Manhattan on Fri 17 Jun, transporting New Yorkers to a bucolic 1920s country golf club featuring weird and wonderful crazy golf courses set around an imposing clubhouse.
The new £9.5m development sits across 23,000sq ft and comes complete with three nine-hole courses, four local gourmet street food brands—Sauce Pizzeria, Miznon, Fonda and Mah Ze Dahr Bakery—six cocktail bars and a selection of private rooms for hire.
Looking further ahead, 2023 will see the opening of three new locations, including Swingers’ second venue in Washington D.C., swingers Navy Yard, followed by five new locations in both 2024 and 2025.
“Swingers will offer New Yorkers a completely unique and immersive experience that is unlike anything they’ve ever seen before,” said CEO and co-founder Matt Grech-Smith.
“Following the success of our first U.S. location in D.C., we’re excited to bring Swingers to New York City, a city known for its prominent hospitality industry and eclectic nightlife. Beyond that, we’ve been incredibly busy behind the scenes over the last few years and we are happy to be able to talk about some of our expansion plans as we react to burgeoning demand and grow our business in the U.S. and the U.K.”
Stay up to date with all the latest developments over on the Swingers website.
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Sun 25 Apr 2021


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When 75% of the largest venture capital investments move assertively in one direction, it’s time to take notice.
That’s the situation in which the leaders of incumbent enterprise software companies find themselves. From 2017 to 2021, more than three-quarters of VC investments of $100 million or more went to IT infrastructure and industry-focused, or vertical, software companies, according to Bain & Company analysis of our Startup Investment Cruncher database (see Figure 1).
Venture capital firms are investing more in infrastructure and industry-focused vertical application software
Investors are backing start-ups that are taking aim at software markets supposedly immune to disruption in industries as disparate as education, healthcare, restaurants, and auto dealerships. These markets historically had high barriers to entry and loyal customers, and the cost of switching to alternative vendors was high.
Now, however, companies can develop and deploy new software more quickly and easily than ever, thanks to open-source software architectures and platforms that make it possible to develop apps with little to no coding expertise. As a result, start-ups are no longer afraid of markets that long appeared untouchable and are gradually winning over customers.
Consider Toast, which in just over a decade has emerged as a leader in restaurant point of sale software with nearly $2 billion in annual revenue, thanks in part to a direct sales model and a simplified technology developed specifically for restaurants. Or look at legal management software provider Onit, which has used its cloud-based, “no-code” platform with a simple user interface to make products that are generally faster to implement and easier to use than legacy systems. That formula has made Onit one of the fastest-growing tech companies in North America.
Unfortunately for incumbents, many don’t pick up signals of impending disruption until it’s too late, or worse, they recognize the signals, but disregard them because they believe they’re in a niche, sufficiently sheltered market. In a 2022 Bain survey of executives at 98 tech companies, nearly 50% said they see disruptive threats to their company’s market share position as mild or not critical at all; only 5% saw such threats as severe. But other evidence suggests that tech companies are highly susceptible to the kind of disruption that leads to sector underperformance—and that the longer a tech company underperforms, the less likely it is to turn around (see Figure 2).
The longer a tech company underperforms, the lower its chances of a turnaround
Technology companies are easily disrupted
The incumbents that don’t heed signals of disruption continue to bet on the playbook that has worked for years: make a series of acquisitions, take out costs, manage the businesses for cash, and enjoy slow-but-steady growth. That playbook will likely remain valuable, but it’s no longer sufficient to protect against what’s coming. Although venture capital investment in and valuation of high-growth tech companies both declined in the first half of this year, such drops won’t curb the long-term increased pace of disruption.
Now is an opportune moment for incumbents to go on offense. In recent years, established companies were expected to deliver steady profits, and therefore had less freedom to invest in innovation, leaving them at a disadvantage against start-up competitors. But the rules are changing. Start-ups are under more pressure to deliver profits, not just growth. Incumbents have an opening to press forward and seize momentum.
Staying ahead of the game
Leadership that rejects the legacy mindset is the most important hallmark of software incumbents that have successfully defended against disruption. Not satisfied with slow-but-steady growth, these leaders want to be at the forefront of technology for their industry, and they take pride in what their products help their customers accomplish. This sounds like a given for any leadership team, but in truth many companies lose sight of these goals or only pay them lip service. That leaves their companies vulnerable to complacency and, eventually, irrelevance.
The most successful software incumbents put that mindset into action by focusing on three things.
Continually assessing potential threats and new business opportunities. Leading companies put defending against disruption at the heart of their strategy. There are a lot of ways to do this, but it's good to start by building competitive threat assessments into the annual planning process. Many tech companies have room to improve in this area. In a 2022 Bain survey of CIOs and CTOs, nearly half said their company doesn’t have a strong ability to identify potential disrupters in their core market (see Figure 3).
Nearly half of tech companies say they lack a strong ability to identify disrupters in their core markets
To avoid threat assessments becoming a check-the-box exercise, leading companies not only monitor the competitive landscape, but also think deeply about anything and everything that could emerge in the future to prey upon their business vulnerabilities. Paranoia is a virtue here.
Moving the CEO closer to the company’s R&D roadmap of products and tech capabilities. Sometimes, the response to disruption might simply require refreshing product features or adding new ones. But when it calls for a fundamental redefinition of the company’s core business, that’s a decision only the CEO can make—and it needs to be made quickly to stay ahead of the competition. Closer collaboration between the CEO and the head of research and development can also help incumbent software companies make the appropriate investment trade-offs in order to fix their “technology debt,” a common pitfall wherein companies choose incremental feature upgrades or additions at the expense of refreshing their core product, which can atrophy as a result.
Investing in migrating customers to the new offering. Once the company is ready to scale up a new, innovative product or modernized technology platform, managing the transition in the market can be even more difficult than navigating the internal shift. Customers might be reluctant or refuse to switch, which might spook the sales team or discourage it from promoting the new offering. And the board might not want to risk upsetting the status quo, which has worked for so long.
Leading companies reorient the sales team’s priorities to focus on the new offering, adjusting the team’s incentives if necessary. They build targeted sales plays around the new offering and ensure close communication between sales and R&D to make the customer migration work.
The most successful companies start small by winning “lighthouse” customers, a targeted set of existing buyers willing to try out nascent products. Then they use those success stories to persuade more customers to switch. Genesys’s cloud strategy illustrates how incumbents can turn potential disruption to their advantage (see Figure 4).
Genesys has grown by moving into the cloud and now faces a new set of competitors
In 2013, a year after Genesys was spun out of Alcatel-Lucent, it was operating almost entirely on-premise, with some hosting. Recognizing early that its customers were starting to prefer cloud-based products, the contact center software provider began shifting away from its legacy on-premise solution with a couple of small tuck-in acquisitions. It swung for the fences with the $1.4 billion purchase of Interactive Intelligence in 2016. To capture the value of the deal, the Genesys leadership team crafted a plan to win new customers and carefully manage the transition of existing customers to Interactive’s more modern, multitenant cloud product. Through a series of moves, Genesys capitalized on the cloud trend responsible for nearly half its growth in 2022 and joined a new competitive set.
Meanwhile, Rocket Software’s approach to staying ahead of the competition has combined focused R&D with prolific mergers and acquisitions. Making more than 45 acquisitions in its 32-year history, Rocket has built a diverse portfolio of enterprise software products supporting the legacy platforms of many of the largest companies worldwide. The company strategically reviews its products regularly to ensure it’s serving customers’ highest priorities, and then adapts its portfolio to deliver what customers need today or will in the near future.
Ultimately, even as incumbent enterprise software companies face intensifying competition, the traditional playbook can still yield solid returns for the foreseeable future. But more incumbents are starting to recognize there’s a better way. Staying ahead of disruptive competitors will set them on a path to accelerate growth for years to come.


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LG Electronics and Sony have completed a patent dispute between them. Mentioned both, issues patents covering technology smartphones, TVs and Blu-ray is completed by signing a cross-licensing agreement. "We agreed to end the patent infringement case," said a spokesman for LG. Sony also confirmed the same thing, but declined to comment further.
As known, Sony and LG for a long time involved patent feud, covering a number of products marketed in Europe and the United States (U.S.). Disputes between the two technology giants began since both failed to renew the collective agreement that ended about three years ago.
Sony complained about this to the International Trade Commission (ITC), United States, and sought to block the LG not to ship a product that violates the patent to the U.S.. LG responded with a complaint of Sony's PlayStation 3 has violated its Blu-ray technology.


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Prediction 1: Amazon will start charging sales tax. More states are following suit in the bid to make Amazon charge sales tax, leveling the playing field for retail stores. California, Texas, and Pennsylvania are among the states to do so recently. Congress is considering passing “The Marketplace Equity Act,” which would require all online retailers with more than $1 million in annual sales to collect sales tax. As the tables turn on Amazon and their advantage of not charging customers sales tax fades, what will they do? They will offer same-day shipping.
Prediction 2: Amazon will introduce same-day delivery for auto parts. Amazon has been shifting its strategy to better compete with other online retailers, as well as local retail stores. With new warehouses opening across the country, Amazon aims to provide faster delivery to its customers, and will be providing same-day delivery.
If Amazon is able to pull of same-day shipping for auto parts, it will change the way we shop completely. All competitors will have to shift their strategy to keep customers from going to Amazon. Customer service efforts will have to be drastically heightened, better deals will have to be offered and availability will have to best Amazon’s. One thing that will help level the playing field for local retailers will be that Amazon will have to charge sales tax with this new initiative.
Prediction 3: Amazon will become more independent. Google Shopping switches to a paid listing model as of October 17 and Amazon so far is refusing to join. People searching on the largest search engine won’t find Amazon in the results as they look to compare prices for various products; however, Amazon does still appear to be buying ads in regular web searches. Amazon knows a significant amount of consumers start their shopping search on Amazon, not Google. A Forrester report shows 30% of all online shoppers start their product search at Amazon.com but automotive parts shoppers will need to see more products along with better search results for that trend to continue.
Tune in tomorrow for Trend 25: Retail Auto Parts Sales Outlook for 2012.
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Ali's boyhood home might become museum
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Muhammad Ali's boyhood home in western Louisville might become a museum with a restoration of how it once looked in the 1950s.
The Courier-Journal reports that Jared Weiss, a real estate investor from Las Vegas who paid $70,000 for the property, met with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and other officials last week. The house, at 3302 Grand Ave. in Parkland, could be stocked with Ali memorabilia.
The longtime Ali fan said he plans to spend as much as $75,000 to renovate the empty house, according to the report.
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According to a new leak, PS4 PlayStation Plus October free games might have already been spotted on Sony’s home console for a while, or at least long enough for a Reddit user to find them out.
Sony has shared the August free games lineup for PlayStation Plus subscribers, revealing that headline titles feature Mafia III and Dead by Daylight for PS4.
As part of its financial results for the last quarter, Sony has revealed more information about the PlayStation Plus subscribers, sharing that there’s been a slight reduction in the numbers.
Sony has announced PS Plus Free Games for May 2018 - Beyond Two Souls from Quantic Dream and Rayman Legends from Ubisoft is going to be available on PS4 for free of cost in the month of May 2018.
April 2018 free games lineup for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscribers have been revealed. Let's take a look who wins April 2018?
Free Download links of PS Plus Free Games for March 2018 are live. Download for free Bloodborne and Ratchet & Clank on PlayStation Store right now.
Gamepur.com © 2010-2019


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The impending demise of the 30-second commercial has been a theme of numerous reports, articles, speeches and surveys ever since TiVo and other digital video recorders came to town and made it possible to easily fast-forward through the spots.
While some consumers would no doubt cheer in that event, marketers have devoted themselves to answering the challenge. At Initiative Media, an agency whose most recent compilation of its own work is called "Beyond the 30-Second Commercial," one primary strategy is integrating brands directly into entertainment programs, said Tim Spengler, executive vice president and director for national broadcast.
In another tactic, some marketers, like the BMW of North America division of BMW, are experimenting with "short films," also known as "long commercials," which run up to nearly nine minutes but appear solely online.
A third approach still uses program breaks on television to reach consumers by mixing up the format with commercials that are longer or shorter than 30 seconds.
Starting this month and continuing through the fall, Under Armour Performance Apparel in Baltimore is running a 90-second commercial to try to break through the clutter.
The Under Armour "MicroMovie," as the company calls its commercial, needs that much time to build momentum and tell a story that would never fit into a traditional spot, said Steve Battista, director for marketing at Under Armour, which sells sports clothing.
"Our goal with our advertising is always about building brand," Mr. Battista said. "From that standpoint, we're not selling one garment or one product in 30 seconds. If we were talking about a car, I can see where the 30-second would still be relevant."
The long spot, which was created by the company's in-house marketing team, shows the intense pregame preparations of a fictional football team that is intent to "protect this house," the theme begun in Under Armour commercials last year. The long spot is supported by other 30-second commercials.
With "regular" commercials already called boring by many consumers, one obvious risk of making commercials longer is making them even more tedious.
"When you tell people that you're going to have a 90-second commercial before they see the creative, they think 'that's going to be a long time watching a commercial,' " Mr. Battista said. When they watch the Under Armour megaspot, though, they lose track of time, he said.
Other tentative steps away from what might be called the House of 30 Seconds include the sponsorship of commercial-free episodes of shows like "24" on Fox and "Nip/Tuck" on F/X.
But the 30-second commercial is not becoming endangered by any means.
"TV is not going away by any stretch," said Tami Jones, a spokeswoman at Procter & Gamble, which has often said it wants to engage consumers outside traditional means. Executives there are not abandoning television or even the staple of 30-second advertising, though Procter has invested heavily in working its products onto the sets of television shows like "Survivor: All Stars," which featured 20 Procter brands, Ms. Jones said.
And so far, deviating from the 30-second template in television advertising remains unusual, according to research compiled by Nielsen Monitor-Plus, part of VNU.
During the first quarter of 2002, 30-second spots comprised 79 percent of commercials on the air, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. In the first quarter of the year, the most recent data available, 30-second spots made up 77.52 percent.
Just as traditional commercials did not go away, nontraditional commercials increased their presence only marginally. The proportion of 15-second commercials increased to 13.44 percent in the first quarter of this year, up from 12.17 percent two years before, for example.
That was the biggest increase for commercials of any length. The next runner-up, the 60-second spot, represented 7.44 percent of commercials in the first quarter of 2004, up from 6.88 percent two years earlier.
Mr. Spengler, the executive at Initiative, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies, said a commercial's length was one ingredient in a campaign but not the most central.
"You can't say that one type of duration is better or worse than the others," he said. "Creativity is a big part of it."
Nat Ives, The New York Times. July 28, 2004.
Copyright © 2004 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.


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The Detroit Pistons are doing it up for a celebration of the organization’s 10th annual Pride Night, set for March 24. The event will kick off with a new Pistons-sponsored “Basketball for All” platform and mark the launch of a four-piece, all-gender apparel collection created by Phluid Project founder Rob Smith, who grew up in Grosse Pointe.
The clothing launch, the first of its kind between inclusive brand Phluid and a pro sports franchise, includes a sweatshirt, T-shirt and hat, all with the words “Basketball for All” over a rainbow background. The company, which focuses on apparel, accessories, scents and intimacy products, are specifically affirming and inclusive regardless of gender, race, sexuality, body size, faith, age and ability and works with retailers like Macy’s, Target and Kohl’s.
“Working with the Phluid Project is another step in building inclusive spaces where people can be their authentic self, showcasing pride in their favorite sports team,” said Stefen Welch, vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Pistons, in a news release.
“The Basketball for All x Phluid all-gender capsule shares a message of inclusion while supporting our friends, family and neighbors in the LGBTQIA+ community,” he added. “Sports are meant to bring people together and celebrate common interests. Over the last year, the Pistons and Phluid have become more than peers, we’ve become a team. It is an honor to be the first organization in professional sports and the NBA to design a capsule with the Phluid Project.”
In the release, Smith said, “Since our inception eight years ago, Phluid has looked at every situation and asked ourselves, just because something has been one way, can we identify a new path that challenges societal norms and create more access for all people of all communities.”
The Basketball for All program, which will create safe spaces for under-served youth to play basketball in Metro Detroit, shares similar aims. Phluid Art Director Matt Gonsalves is heading up the initiative. “Detroit is a city I've had the privilege of spending considerable time in, and it has captured my heart,” he said in the news release.
“What consistently imbues Detroit with a sense of magic is the unwavering pride that its natives maintain, regardless of the challenges the city has faced. They are so proud to call Detroit home,” Gonsalves added. “Pride is also at the core of Phluid, not just within the LGBTQIA+ community but to also encourage others to shatter societal molds and embrace their authentic selves, being proud of the things that make them unique. Getting to blend the passion and support of Pistons' fans with the passion of The Phluid Project just felt correct.”


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The device listed under model number ‘FS FS P8801’ reveals several details about the internals of the smartphone including the OS version, RAM and processor.
Ahead of its official launch on October 30, OnePlus 6T has been spotted on benchmarking platform Geekbench. The device, listed under model number ‘FS FS P8801’, reveals several details about the internals of the smartphone including the OS version, RAM and processor.
The upcoming flagship smartphone has easily been one of the most-awaited devices of the year and as a result, it has seen countless leaks and reveals in the recent past.
We already know that the smartphone will sport an in-built fingerprint sensor along with a waterdrop notch-screen. The device that will run on Snapdragon 845, could be powered by a 3,700 mAh battery and will ditch the 3.5mm audio jack.
According to the Geekbench listing, the smartphone will roll out with Android 9 Pie OS out-of-the-box, instead of Android 8.1 Oreo as speculated before. It further reveals that the device will carry an 8GB RAM to assist the Snapdragon 845 processor.
Meanwhile, the Shenzhen-based smartphone maker recently published an interview of Szymon K., a software expert working with the company who said OnePlus 6T will come with a ‘whole new UI’ which will improve the user’s experience.
“We’re working on a ton of exciting stuff for the OnePlus 6T. We’ve got a whole new UI coming up that you will have to experience for yourself to really understand. Our goal was to express the OnePlus design language in our UI, making this the most distinct and intuitive version of OxygenOS yet. We’ve also put a lot of work into improving the camera behind the scenes, so you can expect to take even better pictures,” Szymon K. said in the post.
The post further states that the updated OxygenOS is not only ‘Fast, Smooth and Efficient’, but also makes the most out of the hardware, which was the main goal of the team.
In addition to an improved camera, users will be able to experience features such as an advanced Do Not Disturb mode and new Navigation Gestures.
The company is also laying a large emphasis on navigation gestures to provide the user with a smoother experience on the smartphone and is coming out with swipe features that includes ‘swipe up in an app’ feature where the application window will follow the finger.
Also users can flick from the bottom of the screen towards the right of the screen to change between two recently used apps. In the latest OS, users will also be able to switch between apps along with quickly accessing Google Assistant using gestures.
The post also talks about the phone coming with an AI-based algorithm which will improve the power consumption of OxygenOS. According to Szymon, the phone will be able to learn when the user goes to sleep and consequently minimises its background usage accordingly to reduced power consumption. – Money Control


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The device features a 7-inch screen, which is about the size of Google's Nexus 7 tablet and slightly smaller than an iPad mini (7.9-inches).
It's always possible that the device is actually a tablet rather than a phone, but there are a few indicators that suggest it may be the latter.
Three antennas are seen along the bottom and upper left corner of the gadget, and the FCC label classifies the device as a "mobile phone." Regardless of how Samsung decides to market this thing, it looks like you'll be able to make phone calls with it.
Judging by the hardware, Samsung's mystery "phablet" will likely be on the cheap side. It'll feature a 720 display, which is considered high definition but isn't as sharp as the 1080p screens you'll find on today's high-end tablets and smartphones. It also runs on a processor that's a few generations old and comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as its operating system, which is one generation behind the newest KitKat flavor of Android.
Samsung is no stranger to launching giant smartphones. It basically popularized the phablet in the U.S. smartphone market when it launched the original 5.3-inch Galaxy Note back in 2012, and its 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega dwarfs normal-sized smartphones. It's possible that this unnamed device is another version of the Galaxy Mega, but we won't know for sure until Samsung makes an announcement.
The FCC filing has popped up just as rumors are suggesting that Apple will extend the screen size of its iPhone. The iPhone 6 is expected to come with a 4.7-inch display, which is nearly an inch larger than the current iPhone's 4-inch screen. The company is also rumored to release an even larger iPhone with a 5.5-inch display, although some reports have suggested that this phone could be delayed until 2015 due to production issues.


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NEW YORK -- The Council of Fashion Designers of America awards gala is getting real this year.
Instead of the emphasis on Hollywood names and European designers that marked the past two galas, this year's event, to be held Feb. 7 at Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, will focus on what CFDA executive director Fern Mallis called "the solid majority of the fashion business, the bankable power of the industry."
"The last couple of years -- our first two at the State Theater -- were very celebrity oriented," she said. "We're thrilled about this year's show because it represents what's happening now. Last year, we had a lot of young, cutting-edge, grunge-type people. This year's winners and presenters are much more the mainstays of the industry."
While there might still be more than a touch of show business, CFDA president Stan Herman said: 'The awards this year truly represent 1993 and have evolved into a bow to some of the legends of the industry."
One of them is Calvin Klein, who, as reported, will be the first designer to receive the men's and women's awards in the same year. He'll get his Men's Wear Designer of the Year Award from his friend, entertainment mogul David Geffen, who helped his company out of financial trouble in 1992. Author Fran Lebowitz will give Klein his Women's Wear Designer of the Year Award.
Industry icons Stanley Marcus and Bill Blass are also presenters. Marcus will give Judith Leiber a Lifetime Achievement Awards, and Blass will present Eleanor Lambert, a CFDA founder, with a special tribute. Photographer Richard Avedon will present the other Lifetime Achievement Award to Polly Allen Mellen, fashion editor of Allure.
John Bartlett will receive the Perry Ellis Award for new men's fashion talent from actors Stephen Spinella and Joe Montella of "Angels in America."
Other presenters are still to be named for the Perry Ellis Award for new fashion talent in women's wear, going to Richard Tyler; the International Award for Accessories, to Prada; the Eugenia Sheppard Award, which honors members of the fashion media, to Bill Cunningham of the New York Times, and special awards to Fabien Baron, art director at Harper's Bazaar, and to the sneaker industry, a prize shared by Adidas, Converse, Keds, Nike and Reebok.So far, there are no movie stars, although Mallis said Tyler's Hollywood connections might result in a celeb or two presenting to him.
The show, however, will concentrate on the American fashion industry, Herman and Mallis promise. That's a sharp contrast with the past couple of years, when the people on stage included Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Elton John, Cher, and Beverly Sills. Two years ago, Women of the Arts Awards went to Anjelica Huston, Jessye Norman and Judith Jamison.
As a result, Mallis admitted, there was criticism that the CFDA had lost its focus in these yearly awards ceremonies.
The costs of the show will remain about the same as last year's. Hearst Magazines is again the major underwriter. Mallis said the funding matches last year's of about $600,000, and the budget of "just under $1 million" is in line with last year. Herman said the hope is to raise about $300,000 in funds, also about the same as last year.
Tommy Hilfiger is contributing $25,000 to underwrite the 500-seat student balcony section.
EXCLUSIVE: @tomford is opening its first-ever beauty store. The boutique, which opens November 20 in London’s Covent Gardens, was designed with the over-the-top glam Ford is known for. Read the full story on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdbeauty #wwdnews (📷: Simon Wagner) #TomFordBeauty
New York-based DJ @harleyvnewton threw a party to celebrate the holiday collection of her dress and pajama line @hvn at the Ladurée Beverly Hills. It Girls @katebosworth, @rashidajones and more joined in on the fun, which included cocktails, croque monsieur sandwiches and a photo booth. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com)
For the holidays, @Burberry partnered with 20-year-old artist @blondeymccoy on a series of three outdoor murals in downtown Manhattan. The murals are McCoy’s interpretation of a Christmas eve party, the idea of charity and the spirit of family. His third mural, pictured here, is the most personal. The image depicts McCoy’s grandparents and father in London’s Trafalgar Square in the Seventies. “My work often features lots of sentimental objects.” #wwdeye
For spring 2018, designers applied bold colors and cartoonish motifs on everything from sneakers and belts to key chains. See all the top men’s accessories trends on WWD.com. #wwdtrends (📷: George Chinsee; Prop Styling by @rnasti; Market Editor: @luiscampuzano)
The @dior-sponsored @guggenheim international gala pre-party has a history of drawing cool-girl musical acts to serenade the crowd –– and last night was no exception. @haimtheband performed songs both new and old, and lured a star-studded audience with the likes of Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Mamoudou Athie and more. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
In a partnership between the @metopera and the @englishnationalopera, “Marnie” was born. The opera, with costumes sponsored by @mrporterlive, is an adaptation of the 1961 thriller by Winston Graham. Arianne Phillips, who created the costumes, is no rookie: She’s styled Madonna for her tours and created costumes for a myriad of films in the past. Read WWD’s interview with Phillips, where she talks about her inspiration for the opera’s costumes on WWD.com #wwdfashion
@barneysnyc took a different approach to their holiday windows this year. Instead of Christmas decor, Barneys tapped @thehaasbrothers to tell a story of positivity, gratitude and inclusivity via heartwarming silliness and humor. “It’s about kids and it’s about coming together and being family and loving each other,” said Simon Haas. #wwdfashion (📷: @joshuascottphoto)
Beauty influencer @kandeejohnson makes her foray into hair care with a collaboration with @ogx_beauty — making it the first time that OGX has teamed up for a product creation. The collab includes shampoos and conditioners in three scents. At 39 and a mom, Johnson is a different profile than the emerging social media stars, but is considered one of the pioneers of the digital beauty influencer world. Read WWD’s interview with her on wwd.com, including the strangest beauty product she’s ever tried #wwdbeauty


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- Obama takes aim at ‘corporate deserters’
- Dick’s Sporting Goods lays off 478 PGA golf pros
- Senators: Cease-fire must allow Israel to defend against rockets, tunnels
- Sierra Leone doctor fighting Ebola catches disease
- Iraq welcomes Russian fighter jets, helicopter gunships into ISIL fight
- John McCain laments: Obama’s ‘self-pity … is really kind of sad’
- GOP offer to fix VA gives $10 billion in emergency funds
- Paul Ryan offers to repair U.S. economic safety net with a single grant stream
- Kim Jong-un builds bond with Putin: $250M Russia-backed addition to key port opens
- Pope Francis meets Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman sentenced to death
Key events in the fall and rise of General Motors
Question of the Day
A timeline of key events in the fall and revival of General Motors Co.
Dec. 19 _ President Bush approves $17.4 billion in loans for GM and Chrysler, citing an imminent collapse of the industry. President Obama eventually approves another $44.6 billion in aid for the companies.
March 30 _ GM CEO Rick Wagoner is forced to resign by the government.
April 30 _ Chrysler files for bankruptcy protection.
June 11 _ Chrysler leaves bankruptcy in a new partnership with Italian automaker Fiat SpA.
June 26 _ GM says Orion will stay open and build a new small car that was originally scheduled to be built in China.
Nov. 16 _ GM reports a $1.2 billion loss from July bankruptcy exit through Sept. 30.
Dec. 31 _ U.S. annual auto sales drop to 10.4 million, a 30-year low.
April 21 _ GM repays $8.1 billion of loans to U.S. and Canadian governments.
May 17 _ GM reports first-quarter earnings of $865 million, its first quarterly profit since 2007.
Aug. 12 _ Whitacre steps down. Board member Daniel Akerson becomes CEO.
Aug. 18 _ GM files initial paperwork to sell its stock to the public, its first step toward ending government ownership.
Nov. 10 _ Reports a third-quarter profit of $2 billion.
Dec. 31 _ U.S. annual auto sales rise 11 percent to 11.6 million.
Feb. 24 _ GM reports earnings of $4.7 billion for 2010, its first annual profit in six years.
May 2 _ Chrysler earns $116 million in the first quarter, its first profitable quarter in five years.
Aug. 1 _ Orion Assembly begins building the Chevrolet Sonic.
Oct. 14 _ President Obama tours Orion Assembly with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Dec. 1 _ Chevrolet Sonic overtakes the Hyundai Accent and Honda Fit as the best-selling subcompact in the U.S.
Dec. 31 _ U.S. annual auto sales rise 10 percent to 12.8 million.
Feb. 16 _ GM reports its highest annual profit ever _ $7.6 billion _ for 2011.
Oct. 31 _ GM earns $1.48 billion in third quarter; 11th straight profitable quarter since bankruptcy. Total earnings since bankruptcy are $16 billion.
Jan. 3 _ GM says it sold 81,247 Sonics in the U.S. in 2012, making it the best-selling subcompact in the country.
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WARREN, Mich. (Feb. 28)—DaimlerChrysler A.G., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. said they are pooling their e-commerce initiatives to form one, standard exchange, giving suppliers and customers a common trading platform. Details have yet to be worked out for the as-yet unnamed company, but the three will be equal partners in the independent venture and offer equity stakes to other car makers who would like to join. The new exchange is meant to provide confidence in the supply base, said GM´s Harold Kutner, group vice president of worldwide purchasing.
North American car makers form industry exchange
Rubber News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].


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Samsung Galaxy Beta Program shows off a new look, does without App Drawer
Samsung’s flagship phones are synonymous with several key things: (1) They use the company’s most advanced Super AMOLED displays, (2) they have seen a major build quality upgrade recently, and (3) they are tricked out with TouchWiz, the Korean OEM’s customized Android skin. Along with the radical redesign that took place in 2015 with the Galaxy S6, a decision was made to tone down the extent of TouchWiz’s overtones, removing what some might have felt to be superfluous bloat. While the newest build seen on the Galaxy S7 certainly isn’t stock Android by any means, it seems a major UX overhaul may be coming soon:
According to a new report by PLAYfuldroid.com, users in South Korea and China who own a Galaxy Note 5 are eligible to partake in a “New Note UX” beta program. The post explains that while the test device itself may be the note, this August the layout will supposedly make its way to the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 Edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge+, the Galaxy S7, and the Galaxy S7 Edge. It is not clear if this means the beta will be made available, or if Samsung will indeed issue a major UX update with these changes at that time.
This approach has been seen before in Chinese OEM products like those from Lenovo and even last year’s Axon Phone. More recently it surfaced on LG’s G5, which promptly made headlines for the lack thereof. LG in turn, then had to release a “new” skin option that restored its old App Drawer.
Also worth mentioning is the redesigned icons, namely the Dialer and the Messaging apps. The phone now features a circle inside the square and the latter has chat bubbles instead of an e-mail icon as exists on the Galaxy S7.
The Notification Shade has also been altered, with the various toggles now sans the white circular background that appears in the current build of TouchWiz. The result is much more similar to the stock Android approach.
Even the Settings menu has been changed to look more like stock Android. Gone are the seemingly infinite number of categories that Samsung currently uses, instead much more concise headers that contain multiple setting selections inside. This is, again, closer to a stock Android approach
Even the Storage setting screen looks drastically different. The top ribbon indicates the latest files that have been downloaded, for example.
While this story is still in its infancy, it’s highly likely that what’s being shown here is a preview of the new UX that will launch with the Galaxy Note 7 come August. It’s unknown however, as to if this will be a default TouchWiz layout change, if the ability to add an App Drawer will be optional, if this will ultimately be just a skin that is available in the Theme Store, or if nothing will ever come to pass.
Suffice to say that, based on the reaction to LG’s removal of the App Drawer, there might be quite a bit of backlash among some Samsung users. The move comes at a time when it is believed that Google itself may be seeking to remove the App Drawer from the next version of its mobile OS platform, known currently as “Android N”. Some feel the decision is to make the presentation more like iOS, while others say it removes confusion for those people who can’t find their apps.
Assuming this will go through, it raises the question: Is Samsung doing this of its own volition, or is this a product of Google’s “suggesting” such. Several years ago recode published a story that indicated Samsung was specifically cited as having arguably “angered” Google to the point where Mountain View had a sit-down with the partner OEM to discuss ways to make TouchWiz more similar to the Android vision Google itself has put forth. Recently HTChas worked with Google to remove excess bloat and duplicate Apps from the recently released HTC10, though the device still has an App Drawer.
While the new look might cause some concern for some, it’s useful to remember that Android lets users install any number of custom launchers without having to root the device. Google’s own Google Now Launcher is an option, as is Nova Launcher and countless others.
What do you think, though? Are you excited to test out this incarnation of TouchWiz, or would it actually anger you? Leave some comments down below!


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China’s trade rebounds in May as anti-virus measures are lifted
by Associated Press
China's trade has been dampened by weak export demand and curbs imposed to fight outbreaks in Shanghai, site of the world's busiest port, and other cities.
China’s trade growth rebounded in May after anti-virus restrictions that shut down Shanghai and other industrial centers began to ease.
Exports surged 16.9% over a year earlier to $308.3 billion, up from April’s 3.7% growth, a customs agency statement said on June 9. Imports rose gained 4.1% to $229.5 billion, accelerating from the previous month’s 0.7%.
China’s trade has been dampened by weak export demand and curbs imposed to fight outbreaks in Shanghai, site of the world’s busiest port, and other cities. Consumer demand was crushed by rules that confined millions of families to their homes.
Forecasters have cut estimates for China’s economic growth to as low as 2% this year, well below the ruling Communist Party’s target of 5.5%. Some expect activity to shrink in the quarter ending in June before a gradual recovery begins.
Most factories, shops and other businesses in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities have been allowed to reopen but are expected to need weeks or months to return to normal activity.
“Exports showed considerable resilience in May despite the impact of the protracted lockdown in Shanghai,” said Rajiv Biswas of S&P Global Market Intelligence in a report.
China’s politically sensitive global trade surplus widened by 82.3% over a year earlier to $78.8 billion. That was among the highest monthly trade gaps but below December’s record $94.4 billion.
Exports to the United States rose 15% over a year ago to $51.9 billion despite lingering U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese imports in a dispute over Beijing’s technology ambitions. Imports of American goods rose 21.2% to $15.8 billion.
China’s trade surplus with the United State widened by 13.5% to $36.1 billion.
Import figures got a boost from higher global prices for oil and other commodities while the volume of foreign goods bought grew less strongly.
The export rebound is likely to be temporary due to “growing headwinds” as high inflation and rising interest rates weigh on consumer purchasing power, said Sheana Yue of Capital Economics in a report.
“Outbound shipments will soften,” Yue said. “Imports are set to remain weak.”
The Port of Shanghai says the number of cargo containers handled each day returned to 95% of normal by late May. However, a backlog of tens of thousands of containers is likely to cause delays that will be felt around the world.
As Shanghai reopens, factories plan to have only half their employees on the job at one time to limit disruptions if there are more quarantines, according to foreign business groups. That will weigh on demand for imported components and raw materials.
“It will be months at least, and possibly years, before all the people who were working get back to work,” Carl B. Weinberg of High-Frequency Economics said in a report this week.


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NCR (NYSE:NCR) issued an update on its FY18 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $2.55-$2.74 for the period, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus earnings per share estimate of $2.60. NCR also updated its FY 2018 guidance to $2.55-2.75 EPS.
Shares of NYSE NCR traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.82. The company had a trading volume of 2,745,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,145,299. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.89, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.46. NCR has a one year low of $23.41 and a one year high of $38.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.77.
NCR (NYSE:NCR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 30th. The information technology services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. NCR had a positive return on equity of 73.82% and a negative net margin of 0.80%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. NCR’s revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that NCR will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.
A number of research analysts recently commented on NCR shares. ValuEngine cut NCR from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Friday, October 12th. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of NCR in a research report on Wednesday, July 25th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded NCR from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on NCR from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 27th. Finally, TheStreet cut NCR from a b- rating to a c- rating in a research report on Friday, July 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $37.80.
NCR Company Profile
NCR Corporation provides omni-channel technology solutions for businesses to connect, interact, and transact with their customers worldwide. The company's Software segment offers industry-based software platforms and applications and application suites for the financial services, retail, hospitality, and small business industries; and cash management software, video banking software, fraud and loss prevention, check and document imaging, remote-deposit capture, and customer-facing mobile and digital banking applications for the financial services industry.
Featured Story: What are retained earnings?
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Following its name change and updated logo, Kia America announces the launch of its sports sedan — the 2022 Kia Stinger Scorpion Special Edition.
The South Korean carmaker touts the special Stinger as a limited-edition four-door sports car saying that it will be offered in “limited batches of just 250 units per month.” The 2022 Kia Stinger Scorpion Special Edition will be built “exclusively” for the US market added the automaker.
It will feature an exclusive blacked-out fender garnish, side mirror caps, darkened exhaust tips, and a unique body-colored rear spoiler. In addition, Kia’s sports sedan will also ride on distinctive 19-inch black wheels.
The cabin will also feature exclusive carbon fiber-pattern trims with the option of a Red Nappa Leather or Black Nappa Leather interior finish.
“Stinger was a wake-up call to a segment long populated by European sport sedans when it debuted in 2017 (as a 2018 model). It redefined what enthusiast drivers thought about Kia and proved we could compete against the best vehicles in a hotly contested space. Since then, Stinger has built a loyal following of those looking for something unique and the Scorpion is set to continue that approach,” said Kia North America and Kia America President and CEO Sean Yoon.
The souped-up 2022 Stinger will be offered in rear-wheel-drive (GT2 RWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) variants. It can be had in three colors: Snow White Pearl, Aurora Black, and Ceramic Silver.
The RWD variant is priced at $52,585 while the AWD variant has a price tag of $54,785.
Sadly, we’re not going to get the not-so-limited Stinger Scorpion Special Edition here in the Philippines. Nevertheless, we get our own version of the Stinger with a fastback design, a Lambda 3.3 T-GDi engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with lots of toys inside the cabin.
Photo from Kia
Copyright © Carmudi 2014-2024. All Rights Reserved.


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China might finally be relaxing its tech crackdown, but the government isn't stepping away from the sector entirely. Rather than the strict approach that saw Alibaba fined billions, tech CEO Jack Ma temporarily disappear from the public eye, and game approvals slow to a trickle, the Financial Times reports that the government is switching tack, and moving to take "special management shares"—or "golden shares"—in many of China's leading tech companies, including Tencent.
These golden shares are relatively tiny—around 1% ordinarily—but confer rights over particular business decisions and appointments made at the companies in which they're taken. The golden share that the government is hoping to take in Tencent is still being discussed, but sources spoken to by the FT understand that it will involve a stake in one of the company's main Chinese subsidiaries, and that Tencent was pushing for a state entity based in Shenzhen—its home—to take the share rather than a Beijing-based one.
We don't know what powers this share deal would eventually confer, but we can look to other, similar deals to get an idea. For example, when a state entity took a golden share in TikTok owner ByteDance, it gained the power to nominate one of the company's three directors. The government opted to nominate an official named Wu Shugang, who could then exert some measure of influence over the company's business strategy and, crucially, gained the ability to appoint the editor in chief of ByteDance's media platforms: A significant measure of power over content that would be shown on those platforms.
So it looks like China's government is relaxing its grip, but keeping its hand firmly on the tiller when it comes to the nation's tech and games sector. It's also, weirdly, probably great news for the country's embattled investors and CEOs, who have had to watch in horror as their stock prices were buffeted by the intense scrutiny of the Chinese state for the last three years. It seems unlikely that the state will do anything as drastic and public as its Didi ban in the near future when it has its own people in company boardrooms: It would risk a PR blowback for the government as well as the company being targeted.
Plus, Tencent kicked out over a hundred corrupt staff in the last year alone, and even reported some of them to local police. You've got to imagine the company earned some breathing room from the government with that one.
The golden shares arrangement feels primed to affect content in China more than the stuff it exports overseas, but it might actually end up dampening the rapid expansion of Chinese companies into non-Chinese markets in the short-term. A report from Barron's last year highlighted the extent to which a lot of overseas expansion by companies like Tencent had been driven by the fact that the government had effectively cut them off from the domestic Chinese market. If the state really is relaxing its grip, those companies might choose to start eating at home rather than going out for it.


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Europe is still
getting whacked, thanks to playing catchup after its day off.
But US markets are starting to get a lift.
Futures now point to a solid open, up around 0.3%.
Chart of S&P futures, via FinViz:
Europe still ugly.
Debating the odds of a stock market correction
More "The Bottom Line" »
These smart palm trees in Dubai can charge your phone and provide free Wi-Fi
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Ajman Free Zone Authority has established its official presence in Pakistan by opening up an office in Karachi, that will act as sole authorized representative of Ajman Free Zone (AFZA) in Pakistan and it will assist businessmen with all the legal formalities required to set up and register a new company with total ease in Ajman Free Zone, UAE.
The new Office is in line with Ajman Free Zone global expansion plan after opening India, Dubai and Manchester offices.
In this regard a ceremony was held at a local hotel today which was attended by H.E. Mahmoud Khalil Al Hashimi, General Manager of Ajman Free Zone Authority apart from other representatives of Ajman Free Zone.
He informed that there are over 14,000 registered companies in Ajman Free Zone and a large number of Pakistani companies are also operating in Ajman. Hashimi informed that trade between Pakistan and UAE stands at US$ 9 billion.
Karachi office will be the main contact centre with companies and aspiring entities to take advantage of investment opportunities in Ajman.
Mahmoud Khalil Al Hashimi said that Pakistani companies are already taking full advantage of business potential in Middle East region as a big number of Pakistani companies are registered with Ajman Free Zone, UAE.
To further accelerate mutual cooperation on business front and to attract Pakistani investments, Ajman Free Zone has now established its footprint in Pakistan with partnership of Emirate Express. He said that this establishment will facilitate building lucrative means of economic cooperation between Pakistan and UAE.
Ajman Free Zone is offering all the necessary facilities to ensure sure that the Pakistani investors will be furnished with the best services and products. These products and services are aimed at enabling investments from all sectors, trade, services, IT, manufacturing.
Mahmood Al Hashemi said that, “Pakistan is an important market for Ajman Free Zone and the investment from the country has been growing over the last few years. Ajman serves as an opportunistic destination for Pakistani business due to close proximity to Pakistan, a strong connectivity with ample flights between the two countries. We are confident of offering investors from Pakistan all assistance required in setting up and ensuring thriving operations as their success reflects our”.
In presence of large number of officials and businessmen Ajman Free Zone revealed its services, rewards and investment opportunities provided to institutions, companies and individuals through opening business opportunities and businesses to Pakistani investors who wish to obtain the best opportunities in Ajman.


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US stocks have fallen ahead of a busy week of economic news that includes a Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting and the monthly jobs report.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave up 36.86 (0.24 per cent) at 15,521.97.
The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 6.32 (0.37 per cent) to 1685.33, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 14.02 (0.39 per cent) to 3599.14.
Analysts said investors were hesitant to make big bets before the Fed weighs in Wednesday with its policy statement and the jobs data is released on Friday. Other big reports this week include second-quarter gross domestic growth and home prices.
"We have so much stuff later in the week," said Steven Rosen, a vice president at Societe Generale. "There was really not much happening in the market as a whole."
After trading much higher in the morning, advertising giant Omnicom finished 0.6 per cent lower following its $US35.1 billion ($A38.06 billion) merger with French rival Publicis. The deal aims to better position the new company as the sector further adjusts to changes wrought by digital technology.
Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay rose 5.8 per cent after announcing a $US2.9 billion takeover of US high-end retailer Saks. Saks rose 4.2 per cent. The deal enables Hudson's Bay to boost luxury retail in Canada, where there is a dearth of providers for this market.
US pharmaceutical Perrigo fell 6.8 per cent after announcing an $US8.6 billion takeover of Irish biotechnology company Elan. Perrigo said the deal would provide a platform for international expansion. Elan rose 3.6 per cent.
Fertiliser company CF Industries surged 11.8 per cent following reports that hedge fund Third Point acquired a stake and was advocating the company return more cash to shareholders.
Dow member Caterpillar added 1.2 per cent after announcing it will purchase $US1 billion in common shares from Societe Generale. The announcement follows a disappointing earnings report last week from the industrial heavyweight.
Amazon fell 1.9 per cent after announcing it would add 5000 jobs and plans to hire more than 7000 new employees.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond rose to 2.59 per cent from 2.56 per cent on Friday, while the 30-year increased to 3.66 per cent from 3.62 per cent. Bond prices and yields move inversely.
Originally published as US stocks fall ahead of Fed meeting


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Rumours of a mirrorless 1DX level body have been around for a while. Since before the 1DX Mark III development was even announced, actually. But now according to a new report on Canon Rumors, it looks like it might actually be on the cards for 2021. They say that Canon “will definitely be announcing an RF mount mirrorless version of the EOS-1D X Mark III in 2021”.
Whether that means, a literal mirrorless version with pretty much the same specs and features or to replace what would be the EOS 1DX Mark IV is unknown, although it’s set to come in the second half of the year. CR has nicknamed it the “EOS R1” which I think would be appropriate, given the D1/D1X lineage.


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Apple has removed any reference to Safari for Windows from its website, and is more or less acting like it never happened.
Safari for Windows made its way onto millions of PC’s using the iTunes auto update system, and you’d be hard pressed to find a single fan among those they duped into downloading it. As a WebKit equipped browser it wasn’t the worst option for Windows users at the time, but it also didn’t offer any distinct advantages. Today Safari 5 users on Windows are stuck using an outdated browser, and naturally, aren’t warned that they are vulnerable to at least 121 unpatched flaws. According to Apple’s own documentation these flaws can expose users to attack by malicious code execution, and are quite serious in nature.


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Berkeley's Cinnaholic cooks up a sweet expansion
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Florian and Shannon Radke, the owners of Berkeley-based bakery Cinnaholic, are in a sweet position.
Cinnaholic could become the first large-scale, gourmet, customizable purveyor of cinnamon buns. Think Cinnabon, but with a lot more menu options — 30 frosting options and another 30 topping choices, from cookie dough to fresh fruit, to be exact.
Following a development partnership with Atlanta Franchise Group to franchise the vegan cinnamon roll bakery, and a recent appearance on ABC reality show “Shark Tank,” Cinnaholic is about to embark on a major growth tear, with plans to expand the concept to 100 units in the next five years.
When the pair first opened the bakery in Berkeley about four years ago, they knew they wanted to expand, but they figured it would be a smaller effort, maybe opening in San Francisco, Florian Radke said. Both vegans for ethical reasons, the pair knew nothing about the food or the retail industries when they opened Cinnaholic. Florian Radke was an entrepreneur with experience in media and branding, while Shannon Radke was in accounting, but had a serious love and talent for baking.
“We didn’t know the plant based food industry would blow up so immensely,” Radke said. “Now you have people like Bill Gates investing in the plant based foods industry.”
Two or three Cinnaholic franchise stores will open by the end of this year, he said, and many more are likely to follow. The Radkes received several hundred franchise inquiries and offers within the first couple hours of the Shark Tank episode’s May 9 air date, with offers from all over the United States and overseas.
Annie covers hospitality & food.
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Larbert station nominated for Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards
Carronvale Service Station has been shortlisted for the national Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2018.
The Gulf-branded forecourt on Main Street in Larbert has been nominated for Best Scotland Forecourt in the petrol retail awards.
The judging process considers appearance, facilities, cleanliness, staff interaction, friendliness and the presentation and merchandising of the convenience store.
The winners of the prestigious accolade will be announced at the awards ceremony set to take place at the London Hilton on Park Lane on September 13.


text: The insect is called a psyllid, from the Greek psylla for flea. It is no bigger than a pinhead. But psyllids are causing enormous damage to citrus groves in Florida, including those on the Treasure Coast. The psyllids carry a disease called citrus greening, which makes grapefruit, oranges and lemons ripen quickly, drop prematurely, look ugly and taste bitter. The fruit cannot be marketed, and the disease can eventually kill the tree. Florida’s grapefruit crop – three-fourths of which comes from the Indian River district – is expected to be down 9 percent from last season. Florida’s orange crop also will be down 9 percent from last season. The disease-bearing psyllids came from Asia and are infecting citrus groves in several states. Florida has been hit the hardest. Since 2005, citrus greening has cost the state’s citrus industry $4 billion and 6,000 jobs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched an “emergency response network” to battle citrus greening and focus federal research on fighting the disease. Let’s hope those psyllids can be wiped out. One USDA administrator told the Associated Press: “We’re treating this almost like a hurricane response. The future of the citrus industry is at stake.” For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.


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Wed, 01 Dec 2021 17:01:14 GMTUK residents in South Africa, which has been added to the travel red list, say new requirements are too costly.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:52:09 GMTTesco, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland have all told the BBC they do not plan to challenge customers without masks.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:01:25 GMTZog Energy, which has about 11,700 domestic energy customers, ceased trading on Wednesday.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:10:25 GMTThe measure will keep passengers arriving from red list destinations away from other travellers.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 09:42:26 GMTThe average price of a UK house was £252,687 in November, according to the Nationwide Building Society.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 08:39:04 GMTVisitors to the UK say new rules to slow the spread of Omicron have thrown travel plans into doubt.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 10:50:23 GMTShoe retailer ends eight-week dispute after talks at mediation service Acas
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:00:05 GMTMonthly spend over Christmas expected to increase by £109, according to projections for BBC Panorama.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:02:05 GMTConsumer group Which? says people sending Christmas parcels to the EU need to be aware of the rules.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:09:41 GMTSoaring inflation and supply-chain problems push up prices in the 173 cities surveyed.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 03:53:01 GMTIn recent months, Tesla has faced lawsuits over alleged sexual harassment and racist abuse.
Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:04:04 GMTA scheme allowing shoppers to get cashback at the till will see rapid expansion in the next few weeks.
Tue, 30 Nov 2021 03:48:35 GMTThe last time the tech visionary left Twitter, he set up another company now worth $100bn.
Mon, 29 Nov 2021 23:39:23 GMTWith fewer Santas donning their suits and more demand for holiday cheer, Santa will be in short supply.
Tue, 30 Nov 2021 00:22:37 GMTA lack of recycling facilities in Africa has spurred one Dutch company to import broken phones.
Fri, 26 Nov 2021 00:08:00 GMTNasa has asked the private sector to design new spacesuits that can be used on the Moon.
Fri, 26 Nov 2021 06:08:58 GMTBrowns of Chester served the city for 241 years before it closed when the chain collapsed in May.
Thu, 25 Nov 2021 00:00:26 GMTPortugal's bike factories have been very busy since April 2020 as cycling has surged in popularity.
As businesses face very unsettling times, more than ever it’s important to take a hard look at your promotional strategy.
We will analyse, advise and develop a communications programme that keeps you ahead of the game.


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LinkieBuy, OuiTrust to Help European Stores Explore the Chinese Market
LinkieBuy and OuiTrust formally reached a strategic cooperation to help European stores in digital transformation and Chinese market exploration using their respective advantages.
It’s reported that both parties will cooperate closely in online store development and management, cross-border payment, international e-commerce services and other aspects to help European stores achieve digital transformation and enter China’s e-commerce market in a legal, easy and fast way.
LinkieBuy and OuiTrust both agreed that in the era of post-epidemic, due to various travel restrictions, world consumer habits have already changed in an earth-shaking way. Cross-border e-commerce will play a vital role in global trading instead of former retailing that heavily rely on international traveling and hospitality. The huge consumption potential of China and numerous well-known brands of French appeal to the two parties and accelerated their cooperation.
According to the agreement, LinkieBuy will provide a one-stop e-commerce solution to China for European businesses, it will provide services including online store development, cross-border logistics services and digital transformation for businesses. OuiTrust will fully unleash its advantage in international finance settlement for Eurasian SMEs, providing European merchants with multi-currency accounts application, global payments and collection.
LinkieBuy is a cross-border e-commerce service brand of Xingyun Group, one of China’s unicorn enterprises and top supply-chain companies. With the resources of Xingyun Group, LinkieBuy is committed to offering digital transformation services for retailers, providing multi-platform online store development, global warehousing, logistics solutions, international order management, and other one-stop e-commerce trade services to help multi-category merchants to enter China market quickly. Till September 2021, LinkieBuy’s service has covered Asia, Australia, and Europe. LinkieBuy cumulatively served hundreds of renowned key accounts, including internationally well-known retailers such as Mitsukoshi Isetan and Daimaru Department Store.
OuiTrust is a trading brand of cross-border payment service provider EasyEuro and Kitakami Limited which are licensed by the United Kingdom and UAB Kitakami Europe respectively. OuiTrust has recently been authorized by the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority. It specializes in the financial services for SMEs, providing services such as account application, card issuance, global payments, exchange and collection (Visa/MasterCard/AliPay/WeChat Pay/UnionPay). Its payment service has covered 130 countries and regions around the world by far.


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This story appears in the October 22, 2012 issue of Forbes. Subscribe
When a big tech company like Google moves into the neighborhood, it's often a death warrant for a small tech company. But not for RareWire, a Kansas City, Mo. developer of apps for mobile devices. When the search giant came to town a year ago, it was to build out the fiber-optic backbone for a massive Internet infrastructure--a.k.a. Google Fiber--that gives hundreds of startups like RareWire a chance to compete on a bigger field. "It's made the city and entrepreneurs realize there's a great opportunity in front of them," says Kirk Hasenzahl, 44, RareWire's cofounder and president.
RareWire had a life before Google. Hasenzahl and cofounder Matt Angell, 39, met at Saepio, which offers marketing technology and services to the likes of McDonald's, H&R Block and Audi. While Hasenzahl left in 2008, he and Angell stayed in touch and developed the germ for RareWire. "One thing I've noticed is that people come up with great ideas all the time, but they don't know how to market it," says Hasenzahl, a brawny, goateed K.C. native who was director of sales at Saepio. "So a lot of good ideas die."
He wasn't about to let his perish. Created by Angell, then Saepio's CTO, it's a simple applications platform that works with iOS or Android on virtually any device. The elegant system ("WIRE") is based on a common design--XML--that's already used by Web developers. It gives mere mortal programmers the same superpowers as highly experienced ones who've written thousands of lines of code.
But when to launch the business? Along came the iPad, inspiring Hasenzahl and Angell to incorporate in the spring of 2010. After raising $500,000 or so from family and friends, they opened their doors the following January.
Its first customer was the Atlantic , whose shift to digital has sparked a notable comeback. RareWire delivered its demo for the iPad app in 24 hours, using a skimpy 4,000 lines of WIRE code. Its app for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum takes iPhone and iPad users on a tour of the teams, using photo galleries, interactive maps and virtual baseball cards. Other RareWire clients: Forever 21, construction engineers Black & Veatch, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and local K.C. beer producer Boulevard Brewing. Last year RareWire pulled in $1 million in revenue but did not notch a profit because it reinvested its cash.
Its prospects are about to improve, perhaps significantly. Completing its work this summer, Google started offering free, as well as tiered-price, Internet service that brings broadband to thousands of homes and businesses. That squares smartly with RareWire's recent plan to launch a second business, its App Creation Studio, an XML-based platform for lay folks. It's free to download for building, testing and sharing apps. Once a customer decides to publish an app, it offers two choices: paying $250 per month for each mobile OS with support and service, or forking over a one-time fee of $99, without updates. "With higher speeds comes the next wave of applications," says a Google spokesman.
Kansas City is hustling mightily to attract tech entrepreneurs. Last month Mayor Sly James kicked off Launch KC, a program to provide free Wi-Fi and cheap office space downtown, build a data center to help startups, reduce taxes for tech companies that relocate and create a tech lab where entrepreneurs can kick around ideas and learn how to run a business. The Kauffman Foundation has helped to brainstorm some initiatives. The city already has a significant IT footprint in Cerner Corp. and Sprint, both headquartered nearby.
As a member of the Launch KC task force, Hasenzahl has a ringside seat. RareWire teaches a free app-programming class at Kauffman and will offer classes at the planned tech center. "We've started a company in a gigantic market," he says. "It's insane, all the opportunities there are right now."
What the 33 million Forbes.com users are talking about. (For a deeper dive, go to Forbes.com/entrepreneurs )
The star of ABC's SHARK TANK and queen of QVC has created 350 consumer products.
Some good news for a change: using the social networking site as a recruiting source, 1 billion strong.
Irrational optimism --not exuberance--is an entrepreneur's most essential trait, as Shafqat Islam demonstrates while describing the launch of his content syndicator, newscred.


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It's not art, but Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events LLC is rapidly becoming a museum piece.
The Hollywood-based catering arm of Wolfgang Puck's food enterprise has recently added the Griffith Park Observatory, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Indianapolis Museum of Art to its list of clients.
Next year, museums and other cultural centers are projected to make up half of Wolfgang Puck Catering's business, up from 35 percent this year. Puck Catering also will be serving meals at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Georgia Aquarium, both expected to open later this year.
The cultural centers provide a steady revenue stream and help Wolfgang Puck Catering establish brand recognition in a new city, which can be useful in going after other clients.
"For a business model, it has been a good thing for us," said Carl Schuster, Wolfgang Puck Catering's chief executive. "When you go into a new market, it gives you a stable base."
Locally, Wolfgang Puck Catering also serves the Kodak Theatre, the Staples Center and the Home Depot Center in Carson. Patina Group, which is owned by the Compass Group PLC, caters the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Hollywood Bowl and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Schuster said that Wolfgang Puck Catering has challenged the Patina Group for Southern California jobs, but doesn't generally compete against Patina outside the area.
Westlife Goes South
Snowboard clothing maker Westlife Distribution USA LLC has moved its headquarters from San Pedro to Irvine to be closer to Orange County's surf, skate and snow sports hub.
"One of the biggest reasons we're moving down here is to let people know we're serious," said Michael Akira West, the company's president and creative director. He also cited a need for more warehouse and distribution space.
Westlife has 22 workers, who mostly commute from Los Angeles. The company also is looking to hire about 10 more employees in the next six months, about half for its warehouse.
Westlife's 686 snowboarding line is sold in more than 1,000 stores worldwide, with about half in the United States.
Unlike most of Orange County's action sports brands, which cater to the teen-to-20-something set, Westlife goes after a slightly older crowd. Its 686 line targets people 20 to 40 years old with pricier items, such as jackets that average $200 to $300.
Westlife is looking to expand its 686 line into shirts, sweaters and other casual clothes, although it won't be an easy move.
Competitors include Irvine-based Stussy Inc., Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. and Volcom. Westlife's 686 casual line is different from other local surf and skate clothing makers in that it doesn't include surf trunks and cargo shorts.
An Albertsons location in Westchester is the first in the chain being transformed into a Bristol Farms, the high-end grocer that Albertsons Inc. acquired last year for $135 million.
Kevin Davis, Bristol Farms' chief executive, said the decision was based on the proximity of Loyola Marymount University and Westchester's base of high-income customers average family income tops $80,000.
The 35,000-square-foot supermarket, which will be the largest in the Bristol Farm chain, is getting a complete interior remodel and is scheduled to reopen in early December. It will be the 12th Bristol Farms, which typically are around 15,000 square feet.
The new store will feature a large caf & #233; and new departments, but Davis declined to elaborate more, saying he didn't want to tip off the competition. "It's a new improved prototype, and we will take the best practices to other stores as they are successful," he said.
To grow the Bristol Farms chain, it's cheaper to convert an Albertsons store than to acquire a new site. But high-income areas ripe for Bristol Farms are the same places where Albertsons units perform well, and Albertsons has been hesitant to sideline successful stores. As a result, Davis said Bristol Farms isn't limiting itself to current Albertsons locations when identifying possible store sites. "We look at the demographics, and all the options in the trade area for a new store," Davis said.
Davis added that several new stores will be announced later this year.
Mitchell Corwin, an equities analyst with Morningstar Inc., said Albertsons frequently waits to gauge early returns before ratcheting up expansion. "They want to be able to get a conversion done where it is cost effective, and they feel that they have something they can roll out to other markets," he said.
*Staff reporter Rachel Brown can be reached by phone at (323) 549-5225, ext. 224, or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org . Orange County staff reporter Jennifer Bellantonio contributed to this column.
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TALLINN - The volume of cyber attacks relating to remote work and cloud services has grown sixfold year over year and this trend is continuing strongly, according to experts at Telia Eesti, the Estonian member of the telecommunications company Telia.
Attacks are getting more precise and targeted, and businesses are falling victim to cyber attacks with increasing frequency.
Remote work has become the new norm and most enterprises are using various solutions for enabling it. Cloud solutions are becoming more and more popular and have also caught the interest of cyber criminals.
Head of security at Telia Eesti Aigar Kais said that while technologies and cyber security systems are improving constantly, cyber criminals are also unfortunately becoming more skilled and precise.
"The volume of ransomware attacks has nearly doubled on year and presumably, it will continue growing rapidly. With ransomware attacks, [criminals] attempt to obtain people's passwords to hijack workers' accounts to gain access to the business' information systems and demand ransom for their release, so to speak. If a company falls victim to such an attack, they definitely should not pay the criminals the sum demanded. Otherwise we're funding cyber crime and criminals will have more and more motivation to organize such attacks. In addition, one can never be certain that the company's systems will indeed be released once the demanded sum has been paid," Kais said.
Also getting more frequent are distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which are typically accomplished by flooding the targeted machine or resource with superfluous requests in an attempt to overload systems and prevent some or all legitimate requests from being fulfilled. According to various sources, the number of DDoS attacks tripled over the past year.
"Social distancing saw online games gain intense popularity as well as an increase in internet use and online communication, which turned these [platforms] into targets for cyber criminals. Online gaming environments and various communication platforms are more often targeted by DDoS attacks, but banks, online shops and other enterprises offering their services online are likewise being attacked," Kais said.
Some 95 percent of all attacks are continuously carried out over email. Even though new ways for attacking people and businesses are constantly invented, phishing attacks still remain one of the easiest and thus also most popular means of attack for cyber criminals. A significant share of phishing attacks were targeted against Office365 mailboxes and such attacks constitute one of the severest cyber threats businesses face over email.
Kais stressed that the majority of attacks are not reflected in statistics and that actual numbers are even bigger because companies are not making their cyber incidents public.
"Entrepreneurs often don't want to make their cyber security incidents public because they fear that it may affect their reputation or their customers' trust. However, it is through actual incidents that risks are generally acknowledged better; thus, businesses should be more courageous when it comes to sharing their experiences. It would help improve awareness both among businesses and people," he said.


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A scientific advisory panel has determined that the Food and Drug Administration used flawed methods and ignored key facts in deciding that a chemical used to harden plastic in baby bottles is safe.
The panel included academic and government scientists. Its critique lambasted the regulatory agency for examining an insufficient number of baby formula samples in its study of bisphenol A (BPA) and focusing solely on mean BPA values without regard for the fact that some samples had very high BPA values.
The report also cites the FDA for failure to mention animal studies which have shown links between BPA and diabetes, prostate cancer and other medical conditions, as well as National Toxicology Program studies that suggest BPA might adversely affect brain development in infants.
Because the FDA did not account for such findings, it ended up recommending a “safe level” of BPA that may not be safe at all, the report concluded.
An FDA spokesperson seemed to accept some aspects of the critique. The “FDA agrees that due to the uncertainties raised in some studies relating to the potential effects of low doses of bisphenol-A that additional research would be valuable,” Judy Leon told the Washington Post.
The FDA has begun to carry out additional research on the matter. Meanwhile, John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, his colleague Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and the attorneys general in several states are on record saying the bottle makers ought to just get rid of the stuff right now.
Canada recently enacted such a ban, and some retailers now sell BPA-free formula bottles in response to consumer outcries. The trade group representing BPA manufacturers has indicated its constituents will comply with FDA regulations once they are promulgated.


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The global outlook summary highlights the top-level findings of Vanguard’s full economic and market outlook.
The global economy in 2023: Beating back inflation
In our 2022 economic and market outlook, we outlined how we believed the removal of policy accommodation would shape the economic and financial market landscape. Policy has in fact driven conditions globally in 2022, one of the most rapidly evolvingeconomic and financial market environments in history. But one fact has been made abundantly clear: So long as financial markets function as intended, policymakers are willing to accept asset price volatility and a deterioration in macroeconomic fundamentals as a consequence of fighting inflation. The stabilisation of global consumer behaviour, cyclical acceleration in demographic and geopolitical trends, and rapid monetary tightening suggest a more challenging macroeconomic environment in 2023 that, in our view, will help bring down the rate of inflation.


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Two sources familiar with the decision to dismiss Boente said it came from high levels of the Justice Department rather than directly from FBI Director Christopher Wray. His departure comes on the heels of recent criticism by Fox News for his role in the investigation of former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.Yahoo NewsCan you contract coronavirus from a surface or object?While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says contaminated surfaces are not the main way the virus is transmitted, the agency hasn ruled surfaces out as a possible mode of infection. “If you want a reliable way to prevent yourself from getting the coronavirus, worry less about the surfaces you touch, and worry more about how frequently you wash your hands,” says Dr.
While speaking at VidCon 2016 in Anaheim, California last week, he explained: may think that when you tweet I probably preaching to the choir, ya are angels I sure but when you tweet to somebody like, okay, say you tweet to Demi Lovato, God Bless her, but you tweet something shady, she might see that and like I just said, she a human So it doesn matter if that person an A list celebrity, a YouTuber, a politician whatever they might be, words have power. Comments came just days after 23 year old Lovato announced that she was returning to Instagram and Twitter after writing off both social media platforms just 24 hours earlier. Known for being very vocal, Lovato had recently butted heads with commenters.
Is part of a growing niche of eBay Canada offline success stories small business owners in small towns who have built up a healthy international business by selling on eBay.Since the move to eBay, Robidoux sales have gone up by about 50 per cent per year, with eBay sales accounting for more than half of his online business.During this past Easter weekend, for example, the online merchant sold 50 outdoor gazebos, a unbelievable feat by the standards of his prior 20 year career as a general manager at Canadian Tire, which might have sold 10 in an entire season.are scaling their businesses in reaction to increased demand south of the border, but Canadian sellers have always done well internationally, actually, said Andrea Stairs, managing director of eBay Canada. Or to Europe, a trust bump. Rapid expansion of Robidoux web business has allowed him to quadruple the square footage of his store in St.
The sportbike crowd loves HID kits or Xenon lights. These HID kits are similar to the headlights on the high end autos like Mercedes, Bmw, Lexus and Cadillac. Led headlight kits are even newer. I was inside, watched every move, and couldn’t have felt more safe. They let the “protesters” scream rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone. Donald J.


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Uncle Ben’s and Mrs. Butterworth’s products will be rebranded following the announcement the Aunt Jemima brand would be remade, reported AL.com. (June 17).
The Quaker Oats Co., a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., announced on June 17 that it will remove the image of Aunt Jemima from its packaging and change the name of the brand. Packaging changes without the Aunt Jemima image will begin to appear throughout fourth quarter 2020. The name change will be revealed at a later date and will quickly follow the first phase of packaging changes.
“As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations,” said Kristin Kroepfl, VP and CMO, Quaker Foods North America. “We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough.”
Shortly after this announcement, Mars, Inc. revealed it would change the “brand identity” of Uncle Ben’s. The parent company said that “now was the right time to evolve” the brand, including visually. In a press release, Mars noted it does not know what the exact changes or timing will be, but is evaluating all possibilities.
“We stand in solidarity with the Black community, our Associates, and our partners in the fight for social justice. We know to make the systemic change needed, it’s going to take a collective effort from all of us–individuals, communities, and organizations of all sizes around the world,” the company wrote.
Conagra Brands, Inc., which makes Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup, also said it would conduct a complete brand and packaging review, reported CNN (June 17). Conagra noted it “can see that our packaging may be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values.”
Additionally, B&G foods will review the packaging of its Cream of Wheat brand amid the national debate over racial inequality in the U.S., reported Reuters (June 18).
“We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism,” B&G said in a statement.
Back in April, Land O’ Lakes revealed it was removing the Native American woman from its products, reported The New York Times. Instead, some products will be labeled “Farmer-Owned” and feature an illustration of a field and lake, or photographs of its farmers. The new design, which already started appearing on some products, will be “fully rolled out” by the end of the year, according to the company.


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Researchers from Sonoma State University have found that consumers change their wine preferences as they age.
In a survey of 422 people, it was concluded that those people who agreed their preferences have change said they liked sweeter wines in their youth but graduated to drier red wines as they get older. However, those who said their preferences did not change always like sweet or semi-sweet wines.
The researchers concluded that wine producers should always have a sweet wine in their portfolios but that dry red and white wines prevail over time.
There aren't a lot of surprises here. I never did like sweeter wines, but I have found my palate changing from the bolder wines like barolo and barberesco to the softer red wines like pinot noir. I've always like cabernet sauvignon and Rhone Valley. I've been returning to chardonnay as I age too.